Norwegian study reveals a strong link between pre-bed screen time and increased risk of insomnia and sleep deprivation in young adults aged 18-28.
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| New research from Norway highlights the negative impact of using phones, tablets, and computers before bed on sleep quality, citing increased insomnia and reduced sleep duration. Image: Collected |
Oslo, Norway– April 3, 2025:
A significant new study conducted in Norway has uncovered a compelling connection between the amount of time young adults spend using electronic devices before bed and a heightened likelihood of experiencing insomnia and insufficient sleep. The research, which involved a large cohort of over 45,200 students aged between 18 and 28, meticulously examined the relationship between engaging with screens in the period leading up to sleep and the resulting sleep patterns.
The study's findings indicate a clear negative correlation, revealing that individuals who routinely used screens while in bed for activities such as watching movies, engaging on social media platforms, browsing the internet, and playing digital games were considerably more prone to suffering from insomnia and sleep deprivation. Notably, the research quantified this impact, demonstrating that for every additional hour spent interacting with a screen before attempting to sleep, the risk of developing insomnia increased by a substantial 59%. Furthermore, participants in the study experienced an average reduction of 24 minutes in their total sleep duration for each extra hour of pre-bed screen usage.
Dr. Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland, a leading researcher affiliated with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, spearheaded this important study, the findings of which were officially published yesterday in the esteemed international scientific journal Frontiers.
Commenting on the study's implications in an interview with the BBC, Joshua Piper, a sleep clinician from ResMed U.K., underscored the growing scientific consensus that the use of electronic devices in the lead-up to bedtime exerts a detrimental effect on sleep. He elaborated, stating that such usage "steals both the opportunity for sleep and the quality of sleep. As a result, some people struggle to fall asleep, while others have difficulty staying asleep."